International Tiger Day 2020

International Tiger Day 2020 is observed on 29 July to raise awareness about the decline population of wild tigers and encourage the work of conservation of tiger. The day is additionally referred to as Global Tiger Day.

Daily Current Affairs Quiz 2020

Key-Points

International Tiger Day was created in 2010 at Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia. In the summit, governments of tiger-populated countries vowed to double tiger population by 2022.

Around 3,900 tigers remain in the wild across the globe, according to World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Since the beginning of the 20th century, over 95% of the world’s tiger population is lost. A WWF report says that about a 100 years ago, there may have been over 100,000 tigers that roam in the planet.

Since the tiger is an “umbrella species”, its conservation enables the conservation of their entire ecosystems. Several studies have shown that Tiger reserves harbour new species, which are found practically every year.

Tiger reserves have also improved the water regimes in regions where they are located, improving groundwater tables and other water bodies, thus contributing favourably to the climate.

On tenth year of International Tiger Day, several countries discuss issues related to tiger conservation and also try to amass funds for wildlife preservation. Moreover, many celebrities also pitch in for International Tiger Day and try to spread awareness about the conditions of tigers using their massive social media presence.

India is especially important for International Tiger Day 2020 as the country currently has 75% of all tigers on the planet.